ABOUT MONTESSORI -> Montessori versus Traditional Education
Montessori versus Traditional Education
Comparison of Montessori and Traditional Education
|
Traditional Approach
|
Montessori Approach
|
|
- emphasis on rote knowledge and social development
|
- emphasis on cognitive structures and social development
|
|
- teacher's role is dominant and active;
child is a passive participant |
- teacher's role is unobtrusive;
child actively participates in learning |
|
- teacher is primary enforcer of external discipline
|
- environment and method encourage internal self-discipline
|
|
- individual and group instruction conforms
to the adult's teaching style |
- individual and group instruction
adapts to each student's learning style |
|
- same age grouping
|
- mixed age grouping
|
|
- most teaching done by teacher
and collaboration is discouraged |
- children encouraged to teach, collaborate, and help each other
|
|
- curriculum structured with little regard for child's interests
|
- child chooses own work from interests and abilities
|
|
- child is guided to concepts by teacher
|
- child formulates concepts from self-teaching materials
|
|
- child usually given specific time for work
|
- child works as long as s/he wants on chosen project
|
|
- instruction pace set by group norm or teacher
|
- child sets own learning pace to internalize information
|
|
- errors corrected by teacher
|
- child spots own errors through feedback from material
|
|
- learning is reinforced externally by
rewards and discouragements |
- learning is reinforced internally through child's own repetition of activity, internal feelings of success
|
|
- few materials for sensory, concrete manipulation
|
- multi-sensory materials for
physical exploration development |
|
- little emphasis on instruction on classroom maintenance
|
- organised program for learning care of
self and self-care environment |
|
- child assigned seat; encouraged to sit still and listen during group sessions
|
- child can work where s/he is comfortable,moves and talks at will (yet doesn't disturb others); group work is voluntary and negotiable
|
|
- voluntary parent involvement, often only as fundraisers, not participants in understanding the learning process
|
- organised program for parents to
understand the Montessori philosophy and participate in the learning process |
